HOME > Japan’s Local Treasures > Remote Islands on the Michinoku Trail
Explore the islands of Tashiro, Aji, and Kinkasan on your trek along the Michinoku Coastal Trail in Miyagi Prefecture.
Tohoku Tourism Promotion Organization
The Michinoku Coastal Trail stretches over 1,000 km of the Pacific Coast of northern Japan, connecting Hachinohe City in Aomori Prefecture to Soma City in Fukushima Prefecture. Each section of this trail is characterized by different features, ranging from intricate rias coastlines to rolling plains and even remote islands.
The trail course that goes through Miyagi Prefecture includes a route around three islands in Ishinomaki Bay in Miyagi Prefecture, each with a different atmosphere.
One of the most famous would be Tashiro, also known as the “cat island,” where it is said that there are more cats than human inhabitants. Pay your respects at the cat shrine and pet the fluffy residents. On Aji Island, you can relax on the sandy, palm-lined beach or climb up to Cape Dowameki to enjoy the ocean views. The journey between these two islands on the Ajishima Line ferry is also part of the fun.
Those with a little more time can also extend their adventures to the sacred island of Kinkasan, hopping on one of the infrequent ferries from Onagawa or Ayukawa Port. Visit Koganeyama Shrine to wash your cash (or credit cards) to pray for increased wealth, and take photos of the deer that roam freely across the island.
How to get there
From Tokyo Station, take the Tohoku Shinkansen to Sendai Station (about 1 hour and 30 minutes). From Sendai Station, take the JR Senseki Line to Ishinomaki Station (about 1 hour).
Ishinomaki-shi, Miyagi-ken
